Weather shield for a newspaper box



Aug. 18, 1964 c, oss 3,144,984

WEATHER SHIELD FOR A NEWSPAPER BOX Filed O0t.,10, 1962 HVVENTUR. AO/V/QFD @9055 United States Patent 3,144,984 SHEELD FUR A NEWSPAPER lBQXHoward (1. Press, Acorn Farm, Gainesviile, Va. Filed Bet. 1t), 1962,Ser. No. 229,528 3 Claims. (til. 23217) The present invention relates tonewspaper boxes as employed in rural areas for the temporary storage ofhome delivered newspapers.

Presently in use in rural areas are open ended boxes, fabricated ofrelatively stiff metal and supported upon the upper ends of posts driveninto the ground. Generally these boxes are provided by the newspaperpublishing company and are available to the rural home owner for use bythe local newspaper delivery person.

Generally such boxes are open ended and have one or both ends exposed tothe elements. Each box is of a size to accommodate a rolled up newspaperbut are not of a size to permit the insertion of such a newspaper intothe box a depth necessary to protect the end of the newspaper from theelements.

An object of the present invention therefore is to provide a weathershield for a newspaper box of the type employed in rural areas for thetemporary storage of a home delivered newspaper, one which lends itselfto attachment to such a box with ease and facility, one which may bemanufactured in quantity at reasonable cost, and one which is highlyeffective in action.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a weather shieldfor a newspaper box of the type employed for the temporary storage of anewspaper in rural areas which is sturdy in construction, one having fewparts readily and with facility assembled, and one which is transparentso that the contents of the box may be viewed through the shield.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will befully apparent from the following description when taken in connectionwith the annexed drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the shield of the present inventioninstalled upon one end portion of a newspaper box, the box being brokenaway and the post supporting the box having its lower portion brokenaway,

FIGURE 2 is a view in section of the portion of the assembly shown inFIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view of the assembly shown is FIGURE 1.

With reference to the drawing in detail, in which like numerals indicatelike parts throughout the several views, the reference numeral 111designates generally an open ended box fabricated of sheet metal or thelike of the type which is generally employed by newspaper publishingcompanies for the temporary storage of newspapers as delivered by anewspaper carrier in a rural area.

The weather shield of the present invention consists in an invertedU-shaped tunnel member 12 having legs 14 and 16, and a bight 18connecting the upper ends of the legs 14 and 16 together.

A portion of the tunnel member 12 adjacent one end embracingly engagesthe one end portion of the box adjacent the open end thereof.

Between the legs 14 and 16 and dependingly secured to the bight 18 is aflexible gate 20 disposed intermediate the ends of the tunnel member 12and relative to the tunnel member 12 so that it may swing into and outof the open end of the box 10 freely as shown in dotted lines in FIG-URE 2.

The gate 20 and its support, a tab 22, is formed integrally and thejunction of which constitutes a fulcrum support axis, with the tab 22 iscemented to the underside of the bight 18 as shown most clearly inFIGURE 2.

Preferably, the tunnel member 12 is fabricated of a resilienttransparent material such as plastic and fabricated so that the portionadjacent one end embracingly engages the portion of the box adjacent oneof the open ends thereof.

It will be seen that the gate 20 substantially closes the open end ofthe box 1% and is free of the open end of the box lltl so that a personinserting a newspaper into the box Jill may lift up the gate 20 adistance sufiicient to pass the newspaper thereunder.

Conventionally, the box 10 is supported on the upper end portion of apost 24- by means of a clamp mechanism 25. Such construction is usualand no claim for the same is made in this application.

While only a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown anddescribed, other embodiments of the invention are contemplated andnumerous changes and modifications may be made in the invention withoutdeparting from the spirit thereof as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is.

1. A. detachable weather shield accessory for use with an open-ended,generally horizontally disposed, rural delivery newspaper or mail tube,comprising:

(a) a snap-on, inverted U-shaped, tunnel member having open ends, whichis (l) fabricated of a resilient but fairly rigid material, and (2)adapted to be readily attached to or removed from the open end of saidtube by resilient snapon or snap-01f action respectively of theresilient member:

(11) said tunnel member comprising an upper portion of a generallyhorizontally disposed bight member interconnected with a pair ofopposed, spaced apart resilient side leg members which are dependinglysupported from said bight member:

(0) a freely swingable, single closure gate panel of a size slightlysmaller than the open end area of said tube and having an upper andlower edge: and

(d) said gate having a generally horizontal fulcrum support axis nearits upper edge and being swingably and dependingly supported thereatfrom the upper portion and intermediate the ends of the said tunnelmember.

2. A detachable weather shield accessory as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said gate panel is disposed to be maintained by gravity in a normallyvertical plane transversely of but in a substantial spaced apartrelation to the lower portion of the open end of said tube, therebyfacilitating a free grasp of the lower edge of said gate to open samefor insertion of a newspaper or mail therepast into said tube.

3. A detachable weather shield accessory as defined in claim 1 which:

(a) is fabricated of a relatively lightweight, durable, resilient sheetmaterial including plastic and metallic alloy compositions: and (b)wherein the gate panel is made of transparent sheet material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,156,854 Hurst May 2, 1939 2,156,858 Landis May 2, 1939 2,267,072 BeggsDec. 23, 1941 2,431,838 Staley Dec. 2, 1947 2,553,164 Bishop May 15,1951

1. A DETACHABLE WEATHER SHIELD ACCESSORY FOR USE WITH AN OPEN-ENDED,GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED, RURAL DELIVERY NEWSPAPER OR MAIL TUBE,COMPRISING: (A) A SNAP-ON, INVERTED U-SHAPED, TUNNEL MEMBER HAVING OPENENDS, WHICH IS (1) FABRICATED OF A RESILIENT BUT FAIRLY RIGID MATERIAL,AND (2) ADAPTED TO BE READILY ATTACHED TO OR REMOVED FROM THE OPEN ENDOF SAID TUBE BY RESILIENT SNAPON OR SNAP-OFF ACTION RESPECTIVELY OF THERESILIENT MEMBER: (B) SAID TUNNEL MEMBER COMPRISING AN UPPER PORTION OFA GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED BIGHT MEMBER INTERCONNECTED WITH APAIR OF OPPOSED, SPACED APART RESILIENT SIDE LEG MEMBERS WHICH AREDEPENDINGLY SUPPORTED FROM SAID BIGHT MEMBER: (C) A FREELY SWINGABLE,SINGLE CLOSURE GATE PANEL OF A SIZE SLIGHTLY SMALLER THAN THE OPEN ENDAREA OF SAID TUBE AND HAVING AN UPPER AND LOWER EDGE: AND (D) SAID GATEHAVING A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL FULCRUM SUPPORT AXIS NEAR ITS UPPER EDGEAND BEING SWINGABLY AND DEPENDINGLY SUPPORTED THEREAT FROM THE UPPERPORTION AND INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF THE SAID TUNNEL MEMBER.